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How Mortals Take the Gods to Task Literature & Language Essay

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Choose one of the three statements below. Write a thesis-based essay (two or three pages long—double spaced, 12-point type) in which you argue to what degree, if any, you believe the statement is true.
1. “In book I of the Odyssey, lines 48 to 62 (‘My word, how mortals take the gods to task! . . . ‘), Zeus tries to keep the gods from being blamed for human misfortunes. But judging from the evidence that appears elsewhere in the Odyssey, his argument is not very good.”
2. “In book IV of the Odyssey, lines 252 to 285 (‘O Menelaos, Atreus’ royal son . . . ‘), Helen tells a story about herself and the Trojan War. At the end, everyone seems very happy with the story. This is an appropriate reaction. As Menelaos, Helen’s husband, says, it’s a good story.”
3. “Odysseus’ encounter with the Cyclops (Kyklops, either spelling) in book IX of the Odyssey is a good example of Homer being wrong. He assumes that if somebody—such as the Cyclops--is a barbarian, you can do anything you want with him, and it’s morally right.”
you can choose any of the 3. the book is the odyssey.

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How Mortals Take the Gods to Task
The Odyssey shows that the relationship between mortals and gods is determined by human beliefs. Ancient Greeks strongly believed that goddesses and gods have a significant influence on their lives. As such, they blamed gods for adverse behaviors and actions performed by the mortals. Additionally, Ancient Greeks believed that gods had divine intervention in their lives. In The Odyssey, gods are highly respected and many characters believe that they are influenced by gods to engage in various activities, may they be right or wrong. Although individuals do not have a physical relationship with their gods, they maintain a spiritual one. Since gods have supernatural powers and can do things that humans cannot, it does not mean that they drive people to engage in evil activities. Zeus is a hundred percent right by saying that individuals sometimes blame gods for their misfortunes without knowing that their greed and folly play significant roles in their behaviors.
Zeus says, “My word, how mortals take the gods to task! All their afflictions come from us, we hear. And what of their own failings? Greed and folly” (Homer and Fitzgerald, Book 1, pp. 48-62). The above statements were made by Zeus when Agamemnon’s son, Orestes, killed Aegisthus. Orestes was looking for the perfect time to avenge his father’s death. Notably, Aegisthus killed Orestes’ father so that he can live with his mother, Clytemnestra, since they were in love. Although Aegisthus had been warned by the gods about the wrath awaiting him, he did not hesitate to kill someone. In that light, he did not bother the consequences of his actions and based on him, he believed that his actions were the best. However, Aegisthus knew that killing was not the right thing to do, but he went ahead and did it. He was driven by the greed of love and folly to engage in his evil action.
Humans usually blame gods when bad things happen to them, but they do not see the good that comes from these supernatural beings. For this reason, Zeus made a sober statement that mortals “take the gods to the task” for their failure (Homer and Fitzgerald, Book 1, pp. 48-55). When people fail, they blame the gods for it. When they engage in evil activities, individuals blame gods. But sometimes, people do bad things due to their foolishness and greed. Gods should not be blamed for all evil actions ...
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